This is a 1960 Atkinson Mk1 truck that’s been given a conversion into a luxury RV, with full living quarters inside plus a hydraulically-lowered balcony on the back for sitting out and watching the world go by.
Power is provided by a period-correct Gardner 150 diesel paired with a 6-speed gearbox, and the vehicle is said to cruise comfortably at 55 to 60 mph (89 to 97 km/h), making it completely useable on modern highways.
Fast Facts: A 1960 Atkinson Mk1 RV
- This 1960 Atkinson Mk1 is a restored 6×4 lorry converted into a self-contained luxury RV. Around eight years ago it received a concours-standard restoration and reportedly won every show it entered afterward. The current owner has used it extensively for events around Britain over the past two years.
- Power comes from a period-correct Gardner 150 diesel paired with a 6-speed David Brown gearbox requiring double de-clutching. It reportedly cruises comfortably at 55 to 60 mph and drove reliably through summer 2026. Known faults include an oil leak, an inoperative air gauge, and a non-functioning original speedometer.
- The aluminum living body includes running water, an onboard tank, gas hob, log burner, refrigerator, solar system, inverters, television, new carpeting, and solid flooring. Its standout feature is a hydraulically operated rear balcony. The insulated bedroom is usable but unfinished, allowing the next owner to determine its final configuration.
- The truck remains very well presented, including its detailed cab and chassis, although normal signs of use are visible. The front tires are recent, while the older rear tires are showing their age. The odometer displays 72,579 miles, believed correct, and the truck is now offered for sale in Derbyshire.
History Speedrun: Atkinson Trucks
Atkinson started out as a repair garage, founded by brothers Edward and Henry Birch Atkinson in the Frenchwood district of Preston in 1907, helped by their brother-in-law George Hunt, to repair the growing number of motor vehicles on local roads. Edward became a specialist in steam vehicles and held the agency for Alley and MacLellan, the firm that later became Sentinel.
The usual engine of choice was the Gardner 6LX diesel. Introduced in 1958, it displaced 10.45 liters and produced 150 bhp at 1,700 rpm and 485 lb ft at 1,000 to 1,100 rpm. Heavier trucks used Cummins engines, but they were built in much lower numbers. The Silver Knight T3046C of 1966 used a 12.17 liter Cummins NH220 rated at 212 bhp net and 585 lb ft, driving through a ZF 6-speed overdrive gearbox to a Kirkstall double-reduction axle. Image courtesy of Atkinson.
In 1915 the brothers designed a six-ton steam wagon of their own, and the first was in service before the end of that year. Its twin-cylinder engine sat under the middle of the frame and drove the live axle by chain, with a coke-burning vertical water-tube boiler mounted ahead of the front axle. A double-acting “Uniflow” engine followed in 1918, intended mainly for overseas buyers who needed a simple design.
The company’s production output peaked at about three wagons a week, but Edward stayed with steam as demand fell, and production stopped in 1929 after 545 had been built. Only one of them survives to the modern day, Wagon No. 72, a 1918 “Colonial Type,” which went new to Western Australia, where it worked for a Perth brewery and later a Wiluna gold mine – it was restored in England and named “Her Majesty” in 1977.
An Atkinson salesman visited the garage in Balham, south London, and went on to buy the business outright for £6,500, renaming it Atkinson Lorries (1933) Ltd. Its trucks used an Atkinson-designed chassis frame, typically with a Gardner diesel engine, a David Brown gearbox, and Kirkstall rear axles. Production output stayed tiny until the outbreak of WWII.
In 1940 the Ministry of Supply ordered 60 12-ton six-wheelers, more than Atkinson had built in its entire history, and a further 100 followed the next year. The first 60 retained Gardner 6LW power, but later Ministry orders used AEC’s 7.7 liter diesel, which actually displaced 7.58 liters. The company bought a site at Walton-le-Dale, south of Preston, in December of 1946, and the new factory opened during 1948.
In 1952 nearly half of Atkinson’s roughly 300 vehicles a year went to overseas buyers. A fiberglass-clad cab with wrap-around windscreens arrived in 1958, and the twin-headlight version that became the “Atkinson look” followed in 1963. In the 1960s the range was sold as the Silver Knight tractor unit, the Gold Knight tipper or truck mixer, and the Black Knight freight rigid or tanker.
The usual engine of choice was the Gardner 6LX diesel. Introduced in 1958, it displaced 10.45 liters and produced 150 bhp at 1,700 rpm and 485 lb ft at 1,000 to 1,100 rpm. Heavier trucks used Cummins engines, but they were built in much lower numbers. The Silver Knight T3046C of 1966 used a 12.17 liter Cummins NH220 rated at 212 bhp net and 585 lb ft, driving through a ZF 6-speed overdrive gearbox to a Kirkstall double-reduction axle.
The huge Omega truck of 1957 was a 6×6 built for the Saudi Arabian oilfields, with a supercharged Rolls-Royce diesel rated at 250 bhp and a drawbar pull of 45,000 lbs. Pickfords took semi-bonneted heavy-haulage tractors built specially for it, including a six-wheel tractive unit with a Gardner 6LX, rated for 32 tons gross train weight and shown in 1964. At the 1968 Commercial Motor Show, Atkinson displayed a bonneted six-wheel heavy-haulage tractor rated for 100 tons gross, with a 250 bhp Cummins engine and Allison automatic transmission.
In 1952 nearly half of Atkinson’s roughly 300 vehicles a year went to overseas buyers. A fiberglass-clad cab with wrap-around windscreens arrived in 1958, and the twin-headlight version that became the “Atkinson look” followed in 1963. In the 1960s the range was sold as the Silver Knight tractor unit, the Gold Knight tipper or truck mixer, and the Black Knight freight rigid or tanker. Image courtesy of Atkinson.
Atkinson’s publicity manager Frank Whalley came up with the “Borderer” model name for the 4×2 tractor, alongside Searcher, Defender, the twin-steer Leader and a 6×4 tractor that appeared in the 1970 show coverage as the Adventurer and was known as the Venturer by 1971. At the 1970 Earls Court show, the Leader appeared as a 6×2 38-tonner with Gardner’s 240 bhp eight-cylinder 8LXB.
By then the company was under siege from all sides. ERF made a surprise bid in June of 1970 and Foden counterbid. Atkinson fought both off with help from its customers, but then Leyland, which held 20% ownership, backed a late offer from Seddon of Oldham, and by November Seddon held 67% of the shares. Chairman Tony Allen resigned and International Harvester later bought Seddon Atkinson for £10.5 million in 1974. The last true Atkinson is generally recorded as a Defender eight-wheeler, chassis FC29941, built in 1975. The Walton-le-Dale works closed at the end of 1981.
The 1960 Atkinson Mk1 RV Shown Here
This 1960 Atkinson Mk1 is a restored 6×4 truck (or “lorry” in British parlance) that’s been converted into a self-contained home-on-wheels. Around 8 years ago it underwent a concours-standard restoration, with the work documented in a photographic portfolio from the previous owner. According to the seller, it subsequently won every show it was entered in. The current owner has had it for two years and has used it extensively for events around the country.
Power comes from a Gardner 150 diesel paired with a 6-speed David Brown gearbox, which requires double de-clutching. The seller says the engine starts readily and covered many miles during the summer of 2026 without trouble, although there is an oil leak. The clutch is said to be good, the brakes work well, and new air-brake lines were fitted earlier this year. The compressor has also been rebuilt, the air gauge and original speedometer are currently inoperative, with a digital speedometer used instead. The truck is said to cruise at around 55 to 60 mph, steer straight, and drive without wheel wobble or unusual noises.
The aluminum body includes a working log burner, running water with an onboard tank, a gas hob, a recently fitted CDA inverter refrigerator, solar power, inverters, a television, new carpeting, and solid flooring. At the rear is a hydraulically operated fold-out balcony, although a few decking boards require replacement. The insulated bedroom area is usable but remains unfinished, leaving its final layout to the next owner.
This 1960 Atkinson Mk1 is a restored 6×4 truck (or “lorry” in British parlance) that’s been converted into a self-contained home-on-wheels. Around 8 years ago it underwent a concours-standard restoration, with the work documented in a photographic portfolio from the previous owner. According to the seller, it subsequently won every show it was entered in. The current owner has had it for two years and has used it extensively for events around the country.
Cosmetically, the truck remains very well presented, including the chassis and detailed cab, although there are minor marks from use, some light fibreglass stress marks, a small repair needed to the left-front wheel arch, and a mark on one bumper corner. The front tyres are recent, while the rear tyres are older and showing their age. The odometer displays 72,579 miles, which is believed correct.
It’s now being offered for sale on Car & Classic out of Derbyshire in the United Kingdom and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Car & Classic + Atkinson
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